He was supposed to be the guy who would take the Toronto Maple Leafs over the hump.
Instead of elevating them, he fell flat on his face.
Brad Treliving was dismissed by the Maple Leafs last spring after a horrendous season, in which Toronto ended the year as the fifth-worst team in the NHL. Hey, at least that placement in the NHL standings landed them a pretty nice consolation prize in Gavin McKenna.
Aside from that, there’s not much to applaud Treliving for during his three seasons in Toronto.
After two opportunities as an NHL GM, it seemed as though Treliving might be done in hockey, similarly to how former Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning disappeared after his laughable tenure.
But recent reports suggest that Treliving is once again back in hockey.
Treliving lands new role after departure from Toronto Maple Leafs
On Wednesday, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that Treliving is back working in hockey. He’s apparently working with Hockey Canada on the Canadian National Junior team.
Treliving hasn’t worked with the junior hockey circuit for about 25 years. Before working with NHL and AHL teams, the son of Boston Pizza mogul Jim Treliving helped found the Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL), which later merged with the Central Hockey League (CHL).
He was president of the CHL, an AA minor hockey league, before joining the Phoenix Coyotes organization in 2007.
From 2007 until earlier this year, he held various front office roles in the NHL, highlighted by his GM tenures with the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Although his experience in junior hockey isn’t relevant in recent history, he does have a relationship with Hockey Canada, having served as GM for Canada’s World Championship team earlier this spring. Although the World Championship takes a firm backseat to the NHL playoffs, that Canadian team will be remembered for losing to Norway in the Bronze Medal Game.
Treliving’s Legacy with Maple Leafs
When Treliving took over as Maple Leafs GM, the team was coming off back-to-back seasons where they had over 110 points.
They never hit that regular-season pinnacle, even though they did finally win a playoff series in 2025.
The Brandon Carlo trade became the defining move of Treliving’s tenure, where the ex-Maple Leafs GM coughed up a first-round pick and Fraser Minten for the middling defensive defenceman. Not to mention, there was the overpay for Scott Laughton as well.
Treliving caught a break that the Leafs finished bottom-five, as they retained the first-round pick they dealt in the Carlo deal. But they no longer have their own first-round pick in 2027, nor do they have one in 2028 from the Laughton deal.
The 57-year-old was able to get back another first-round pick for Toronto by dealing Nicolas Roy at last year’s trade deadline, so at least Toronto has that heading into the 2027 NHL Draft.
Although his new role with Hockey Canada is vague, he’ll look to help the Canadian National Junior Team win its first gold medal since 2023. The tournament will take place in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, beginning on Boxing Day.
Fired Maple Leafs GM Lands Surprising New Gig